Boxers

Friday me and George made plans to get Mom's birthday gift. I had a couple of doctor's appointments in the morning. So when I was done we had the following text conversation:

G: Where were you thinking of looking?
J: Don't know prob Fashion Show?
G: Sounds good. Want to meet there?
J: Sure what time?
G: I am ready I can start heading that way.
J: Okay so give me 30 min I guess.
G: Ok :)
G: Just making a quick stop
J: Okay I'm at Nordstrom.
G: Ok just parked coming up to Nordstrom's
G: On the 3rd floor
J: Okay I'll come up
G: Meet you on 2

And we were there. It's funny how often we converge on Nordstrom, give each other a bro hug and then exit to shop elsewhere. Like it's a bus terminal.

We walked out into the mall and looked around. Lunch? Yeah okay. Chipotle? Sure. We took the escalator down one floor to Chipotle. As we ate giant burritos, I suggested maybe a gift card for Mom at the Walking Company. She stands all day at work. She needs some good quality comfortable shoes. We could make it a good size gift card so she can get whatever she wants and still have some left over. Post burritos, we head out of Chipotle and make a right into the Walking Company. Done and done.
Now what? Apple Store? Of course. We look around then come out. Then we spot a new Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf kiosk that wasn't there before. Now I'm really excited. Red Velvet hot cocoa! I got my cocoa and we kept walking. I had to scramble to keep up with George. You're my favorite shopping partner Goob, I tell him. But you walk too damn fast! We moved in and out of places. We looked at the really expensive watches he likes, and marveled at the tininess of the clothes in Top Shop. We browsed Kate Spade. George tells me that since he hangs out with me so much and has learned about purses, he knows all about how much certain ones would cost when they get reported stolen. His fellow cops make fun of him for knowing that. "My sister likes purses," he tells them.

We tried to think of what to get Mom for Christmas. We've both taken care of Dad already. Eh, there's still time, we agree, and continue to stroll around without purpose. George has to play softball later, but in the meantime he wants to move on to the Forum Shops at Caesar's. We get our cars and drive the couple of miles behind the Strip to Caesar's parking garage and without any coordination whatsoever we end up parking a few spaces away from each other. We walk around pointing at things and saying, that's new, or was that here before? We have to go in here. Let me show you something I saw in there. We stop into the Nike Store. There is a really cool display of mannequins for each of the 30 teams in the NFL complete with uniforms, pads and helmets. I walk up to the representative of the New York Giants, Justin Tuck (#91), and shake his hand.

We stop in to Field of Dreams. The famous boxer Leon Spinks is in there autographing things for paying customers. We look at some other sports stuff, Star Wars and Harry Potter memorabilia. I can hear Mr. Spinks speaking to fans. He seems to have some difficulty. Poor guy probably has brain damage from all the years getting hit in the head, we nod sadly.  As we leave, I wave to him and he waves back smiling.

We peek into the new Bendel's that just opened a week ago. The shopgirl asks where we're visiting from. We live here, we say automatically. Oh, first time at Bendel's? We saw the one at Fashion Show. The girl points out the design of this (slightly) newer store. It's a little bigger. The displays are more similar to the ones in the famous New York flagship.  There is a large framed picture of the original which I point out to George. As we look around the girl follows us still making conversation. So what are you guys up to after this? I have to play softball. Oh sounds fun. What about you? I have to clean the turtle tank. Stop complaining about the turtles. I love the turtles, I just haaaate cleaning up after them. The girl, by now, must be sorry she asked.

We pass a bunch more stores we already saw at Fashion Show. But we can't help but step into Kate Spade again. I'm just so drawn to the color! George says. I take out the discount coupon in my purse. It expires today! I better use it. I zero in on a sparkly little coin purse. A little present for me, I say as we leave. Later we go to Vosges and buy a chocolate bacon bar to split. We find a bench to sit down. As I open the candy bar, I slowly peel back the wrapper like in Willy Wonka. No golden ticket. I bet the golden ticket makes the chocolate taste terrible, George says, quoting. We then begin singing the golden ticket song as I break off little pieces to split between us.

We get up and start heading back to our cars. Wait, did we do what we meant to do? George asks. Let's see, I begin counting on my fingers. We had lunch, we got Mom's gift card, I had Red Velvet hot cocoa, we met Justin Tuck, Leon Spinks waved at me, I got a little present, we ate bacon chocolate...I think we're good.

Back up to Caesar's parking, we bro hug, George reminds me to text so he knows I got home safe, and we head off on our separate ways. Perhaps not the most exciting itinerary to some. But a perfect day to me.

Unnatural Selection

Now that the election is finally over, and I can breathe a sigh of relief that President Obama will have another term to finish the work he started, I have a few things I need to get out of my system.

Republicans, conservatives, tea partiers, right wingers, whatever you choose to call yourselves... The American people have spoken and rejected your agenda. An agenda of greed, of callousness, of exclusion and intolerance. You like to equate capitalism with American-ness, with Freedom, with self-sufficiency. You equate government programs with socialism, overreach, entitlement, dependence and subsidized laziness. 

But guess what? You have benefitted from the government and its programs.

If you went to public school or university.

If you ever use the public roads and highways.

If you've ever visited any of the National Parks.

If you use the internet (It was developed on DARPA's dime).

If you use any of the various technologies that were developed by NASA  or have stemmed from NASA inventions (Some of these include LEDs, artificial limbs, scratch-resistant lenses,  memory foam, freeze-drying, water purification, aircraft anti-icing, solar energy, improved mine-, food-, and highway-safety [including highway safety grooves and improved radial tires], invisible braces, ear thermometers, smoke detectors, athletic shoe insoles, and ventricular assistance devices, just to name a few). 

If you have ever required the protection of the police or the service of the fire department.

If you collect social security or use Medicare.

If you enjoy clean air and water it's largely because of regulation by the EPA. 

If you use prescription medications tested for safety by the FDA.

If you lived through a natural disaster like a hurricane, tornado, wildfire, flood, earthquake, etc. FEMA and the National Guard were there before any private business ever thought to help.

You like to equate government employees with useless bureaucrats who receive the benefits of tax dollars without providing any benefit to society. 

Tell that to our teachers, our police and firefighters, our government researchers in medicine, science and technology and anyone who supports them. Tell that to the brave agents of the FBI and CIA and those who support them. Tell that to our troops. All government employees.

But guess what? Even if you don't work directly for any of the many government agencies, you may still work for the government...

If you work for a company that fulfills a government contract. Contractors earn their money, including profits, from the money the government allots to do that work. I work for NSTec, a contractor to the Department of Energy. My ID badge says DOE, Property of the U.S. Government right on it. If the DOE was eliminated, like many republicans propose, I'm pretty sure that NSTec would not continue to run the Test Site out of the goodness of their hearts without that government contract money coming in. After all, it is called the Nevada National Security Site. Most of our clients include other government agencies like the Department of Homeland Security as well as first responders at the city, state and federal level. 

As I said, if you are in the military, you don't just serve your country, you work for the federal government. I know because I served, way back in the early 90s. I'm a veteran. And today is Veteran's Day. Talk about freedom. I can't count the number of posts on Facebook today saying, "Thank you so much Veterans for protecting our freedom." Freedom isn't free. No, it costs us blood and treasure, and it is also paid for by the tax payers.

You hate taxes so much. Everyone hates taxes. Especially when you can't see what the money is being used for. How does that money you pay from your income and investments benefit you? Well look around. Health care, education, public works, transit, public safety, law enforcement, welfare, the legal system, some utilities, etc. 

Back up, you say, welfare? Yes, we have an obligation to provide help to those who need it. Those who are disabled, or otherwise unable to provide for themselves through no fault of their own. How about all those wounded warriors who are coming back from the wars unable to work? Republicans would like to believe these people have the same fair shake the rest of us do if they just work hard. But that's not how it really is. The capitalist system has many benefits. But fairness is not one of them. 

Mitt Romney is a characteristic example of this unfairness. He is a successful businessman, sure. But he was born into the wealthy family of a former Governor. He went to Harvard. He didn't have to scramble for scholarships or other rapidly hard to find student aid. He didn't have to take out loans and start his life out in debt. He famously quipped that students should "shop around" for the best deal and if they could not afford school, to ask their parents to pay. Because we all have parents who can afford to send us to school right? So based on this logic, only rich kids can go to Harvard. Wait a minute, that's how it was before. Before the G.I. Bill and government student aid. He wants to go back to that system where you only have a fair shot if the chips are already stacked in your favor. In this world, President Obama would probably never have gone to college at all, much less Columbia and Harvard. He'd be stuck home taking care of his single mother who couldn't get enough health insurance coverage to take care of her when she got cancer. But I digress.

I could go on about the ways in which Mitt Romney infuriated me throughout this election cycle. His supposed policies, when he wasn't constantly contradicting himself. His hypocrisy. His lack of caring for others, even his dog! His opinions that the 47% of the population who aren't currently paying taxes are lazy and entitled and can't take responsibility for their own lives. Tell that to the retired folks who paid into social security all their working lives and now only have that pittance to live on. Tell that to the troops serving overseas risking their lives in war. None of this is very Christlike behavior.  I can't imagine any LDS person looking to him as an example. And as it happens most of the Mormons I know saw him for the big phony he is.

As for the whole pro-business, small government philosophy... Hey Republicans in congress, if you want to keep government so small, why don't you serve for free, and pay for your own damn health care. You spend so much to get yourselves elected, you can certainly afford it.

Also, if you want to keep government so small, why is it perfectly fine for government to poke its nose into people's bedrooms, to legislate who can love who and what women can do with our own bodies? God knows you throw a big temper tantrum if you think anyone is coming for your guns.

I'm gonna have to cut this short somehow. So I'm just going to go hang out with my parents since I have tomorrow off. Okay, I feel better now.

I Will Buy You a New Life

It's been a while so I guess it's time for an update. I got my new Macbook Pro with Retina Display a few weeks ago. It's beautiful. I am writing this on it now. I like to say that it's a gift from MINIfir. It cost about the same amount as I got from selling her. George told me that Apple has a discount program for government employees, so I actually got $200 off the price too which was cool.

The Mets have sunk even lower, hovering just above last place in the National League East. All downhill since the All-Star break. At least Ike Davis has picked up his power numbers; he hit his 27th homer today. And R.A. Dickey still has a chance to win 20. That along with Johan's no-hitter will be a few of the redeeming points of this season.

The summer is coming to an end. It's still too bloody hot for September, but hopefully it will cool down enough in a few weeks so I can ride my bike again. I have been off the wagon since before MTTS. In the meantime I've been dog sitting at Pedro's, cleaning the turtle tank and shuttling George back and forth to the airport. Since Heather was back in Seattle, George has been a bit bored. He usually texts me on Friday morning to see what I'm up to. We meet up at the mall sometimes or go have lunch. And he has finished watching all of Doctor Who! Now he texts me all kinds of funny Who-related cartoons and makes jokes about the Ood. Ood on the Loo! It's so fun to have someone to share the awesomeness of the Who-niverse.  We went to the mall yesterday since it was triple points at Nordstrom! Me and George walked around and talked about family stuff and window shopped. He's actually quite a good shopping companion. We checked out the new Bendel's and had lunch at the food court. Then he headed home, but I stayed on, backtracked and did a bit more shopping. Before I knew it I had a mini spree on my hands. I kept within my budget, especially since buying this laptop, I don't have much to spree with. But even after a nice day hanging out with my brother, it still just seemed like there was a void to be filled.

I'm picking this up again a couple of weeks later. Been distracted. But anyway, good news from the Mets camp. Ike Davis hit his 31st home run this week, David Wright hit his 21st, and R.A. Dickey got his 20th win! As disappointing as this second half has been, there have been some highlights. Add Johan's no-no and it really has been a pretty okay year. Lucas Duda even hit a homer to win the game yesterday, raining just the tiniest bit on Chipper and the Braves' parade.

Oh, and how can I forget! It's official, the Mets are moving their AAA team from Buffalo to Las Vegas next year! So now the Las Vegas 51's will field the next generation of Mets stars. Maybe we'll get to see Zach Wheeler pitch a few times before he gets his invite to the big show. I'm thinking of getting season tickets. Me and George or Dad can go depending on who is available.

George just texted me to say that he may be assigned to work the President's motorcade on Wednesday as he leaves town. My little brother. I've been reminded quite often lately how really nice it is that Goob and I are so close. Some people can't stand their siblings. But we talk almost daily, at least by text. So even though I live alone now, it's like I'm never really alone. And not just because of my yoga-posing turtles, (One day I'll get a good picture of them doing that, but they still scatter if I get too close).

George and I have talked a lot recently about our parents and some of the habits we got from them. Somehow we got caught up in all this stuff. Mom got herself an iPad even though she didn't have the money for it. It was "Today's Special Value" on the shopping channel. I think she got it on a payment plan for 3 months or something. She was jealous because me and George both always have ours with us. Even though I'm still teaching (and re-teaching) her and Dad how to use the iPods that we got them for Christmas. Oh well. It's not like I'm immune to gadget envy. Not that I'm gonna run out and wait in line for the new iPhone. But I'm operating for the most part on a strict cash-in-the-bank only policy. I wish George and Mom would follow that example, but of course, I've no standing to give anyone advice. I still have my retail therapy moments (see above). Maybe it's too much watching of Gossip Girl.

Then last weekend I went back to the mall with George and Heather. I brought the bag of goodies I had gotten the weekend before from Neiman Marcus' fragrance department. I remembered after I got home that I had a store credit I could have used instead of putting it on my account. They walked down with me and I made the exchange. Found store credit plus free goodies (nice ones too, from Balenciaga, Bottega Veneta and Chloe) = Score!

I showed George and Heather the free goodies. Then we went to get dinner at this place called BLT Burger at the Mirage. The burgers were nothing special, but they had amazing shakes and desserts. Oh and we had fried pickles! Those were delicious. So for the night George's no-carb diet was non-existant. That's okay though. Turns out my handbag moratorium is entirely fictional.  I got two bags during that last mini-spree, one from Henri Bendel's and one from Cole Haan. And I still have a Kate Spade discount pass in the pocket of my purse. I know, I know. I hold out for months, and then I buy them in bunches. I'm working on it with my therapist.

But as of right now, in mere moments we will see how Rory and Amy leave the Doctor. Or how he leaves them... And that's that. Once again, analogies abound. But no spoilers here.

At work recently, my boss told me I'm one of only 2 people on our team getting a raise this year. Good news, of course. Due to government pay freezes, no contractors have had raises for two years. And the Secretary has decided to continue it for at least another year. My new responsibilities qualify as a promotion though so I'm finally exempt from the pay freeze. My Mom was so happy for me. I implied that it was good for now, but it's not something I wanted to do forever. She said I was crazy. Where else could I get a job that pays so well? True I'm lucky, after being so oft unemployed, that I've finally found something stable, and am doing well when so many people out there are not.  Thing is, I'm afraid of getting sucked into what may end up being a hole as deep as Sedan Crater.

Another White Dash

The rest of MTTS went by like a blur of white highway dashes, twists and turns, and parties. But I'll try to recap it.

MTTS Day 2/3: The evening event at Sandia MINI in Albuquerque wasn't dampened by the rain. They moved it under a tent, and they had a band and some nice food. I checked in and picked up my badge and goodie bag.  Then I ran into Suzanne from Seattle, a fellow native Long Islander and Mets fan whom I'd met on the way to Denver during MTTS 2010. It was nice to see her since the rest of my Sin City Mini folks were not scheduled to join us until Phoenix. The MINI USA people brought several special MINIs with them including a new GP and the ClubVan. MINI USA VP and Chief Motorer Jim McDowell was driving a black MINI convertible which he allowed MINI owners to sign with a gold or silver sharpie! Every inch of it was covered. I just barely squeezed in my name on the bonnet.

They also brought along our very own Paralympic athlete. MINI USA sponsors the Paralympics, so Michael Johnston, a triathlete hopeful for 2016, was going the whole way from NJ to LA and issuing challenges along the way. If you signed up you could swim, bike or run along with him at different stops along the rally route. He had different leg attachments for each sport. He drove the whole way in a Countryman, and was given the title of Motorbassador.

The next morning we lined up to be escorted by Albuquerque police officers out of the dealership lot and onto the freeway for our run to Phoenix. The first hour was pretty much all freeway, but then we turned off onto some pretty nice little roads full of twisties, and altitude changes down through mountain passes. We had a stop at a casino in Payson, AZ where the Dynamic MINI Collective, an AZ club, provided a little goodie bag/desert survival kit. We had just over an hour more to get to Scottsdale where the host hotel and event were taking place. It was a long drive, around 410 miles. We arrived in hot muggy Scottsdale and I retired to my hotel for a nap before the evening event at the Saguaro.

My hotel was really cute. It had hardwood floors in the room! I tried to watch the Mets game on my iPad while I was in there, but it wasn't working and it turned out they were having technical difficulties. The Mets lost. After two hours, I got up and changed clothes and headed over to the Saguaro hotel. They only offered valet parking and I realized this was the first time I ever valeted my car. I avoid it whenever possible. I don't really want strangers getting in my car. But I figured since it was a MINI event, full of other MINI owners and their cars, it would be fine. The party was okay. They offered h'orderves, but we had to pay for drinks, even soda. They had a band which featured a drummer who also worked at MINI of N. Scottsdale in the service department. They were okay, a typical cover band. They had a raffle and the usual thank-you speeches. The Sin City folks arrived from Vegas after an extra scenic drive through the 12 miles of terror. There were about a dozen of us altogether including Agro, Chris, Lisa, Julie, Karen, Mike, Kerry, Toni, Richard, Alia, Tommy, Larry and Dee. Suzanne arrived at the party with her boyfriend Eddie in tow; he'd surprised her by flying down from Seattle. Scotty from the DMC, who I'd also met on MTTS 2010, was excited because we were finally in his territory after he'd spent so much time hanging out with us in Vegas. He had arranged a TV spot in the morning on the local news about MTTS and was trying to get volunteers to show up at the station early in the morning before we left for L.A. I told him I'd try to make it, and I didn't go to bed too late, but the next morning when my alarm went off at 6:00am, I decided it wasn't going to happen. He told me later they had about 40 cars show up so I didn't have to feel bad for not showing, it all worked out.

MTTS Day 4: With the storms passing through all weekend, it was uncharacteristically muggy in Phoenix, so I was glad to be heading out in the morning. We gathered once again at the Saguaro, and picked up our snack and route instructions.  This day's drive would be a straight shot on the 10 Fwy all the way into L.A. about 405 miles. We stopped in Indio, CA (home of Coachella) for lunch at In'n'Out Burger, then got to L.A. just in time to check into the hotel and get to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena for the MINICross. I got to drive the Coupe and the Roadster in the MINICross course. It was fun. Then it was back to the hotel to change for the evening event, the big MTTS wrap party at the House of Blues on the Sunset Strip.    

The location was pretty neat, I had never been there. MINIs filled the valet lots and there was a nice view out over the city.

The HOB restaurant provided a really nice buffet dinner and there was a concert by singer/songwriter Matt Nathanson who provided good music and witty banter about MINIs, his songs, and the audience. 

There was also a giant cake shaped like a MINI which Matt commented about continuously as the HOB chef began slicing it up. 

I enjoyed this party much more than the one in Phoenix. I did not enjoy the traffic getting off the Sunset Strip however, but oh well. I got back to my hotel in Pasadena around midnight. Only one more event to go. 

MTTS Day 5: In the morning I got up and headed out to Gladstones at the Will Rogers State beach in Santa Monic on the Pacific Coast Hwy. There we gathered for the official end of MTTS, at the Pacific Ocean. They provided a breakfast of fruit, yogurt, granola, and muffins. There were more speeches and thank-yous and they announced the sweepstakes winner of an all-expenses paid trip to the London Olympics at the end of the month. That would've been nice to win. But all in all, there was plenty of fun to be had and Rory's first big rally was a great success. 

After a quick shopping stop on Melrose, Rory and I headed home. We hit some stormy weather so it took longer because the roads were flooding a bit. We got home around dinnertime and I unloaded my luggage and all the goodies I'd accumulated. George had been by in the morning to check on the turtles and had told me it was stormy in this area too. And it poured down last night and was still raining this morning when I got up. I was glad I took the extra day off to rest up. Back to work tomorrow. 

Fugitive Motel

MTTS Day 1: I left late. I always leave late, but I was actually waiting to see if my meds came in the mail. They didn't. So I set off without them around 1pm, jumped on the 95 and was on my way. Passed Hoover Dam, into Kingman, AZ to get onto the 40 and then a long ways to Flagstaff. I didn't make a hotel reservation because I wasn't sure how far I'd get the first day. It turned out to be a good thing. Even leaving late, I was in Flagstaff by 5:00, too soon to turn in for the night. I stopped at a Taco Bell for dinner. They got my order wrong. First they forgot my cinnamon twists so I went back and asked for them and then I realized that they had given me beef soft Tacos instead of chicken but I ate them anyway. I enjoyed the break and the 30 degree temperature drop from Vegas (82F!). Afterwards, while in the parking lot, I booked a room in Gallup, only another 2.5 hours further. I figured it would be best to get that far, so it would only be another 2 hours to Albuquerque in the morning and I'd have some time to get settled and explore on my own before the rest of the Minis got to town from Boulder. It also turned out that Gallup was the furthest reach of my gas tank. I arrived at the motel with only about 20 mi worth of fuel left. The place was cheap, and smelled a little like someone had smoked in the non-smoking room. I was able to park Rory right outside the room, literally at the curb outside the door, so it was like he was sleeping right next to me. I read for a while, the book I'd been reading about a group of women on a road trip to Las Vegas from Wisconsin, so it felt appropriate. Outside, right across Route 66, cargo trains rolled by all night. It wasn't a great night's  sleep.

Day 2: In the morning we fueled up and then got back on the road. Besides podcasts, I've been listening to a playlist I made called MTTS which from what I can tell was probably made back in 2008 for the rally that year. But I have to say, it's a pretty kick-ass playlist. I don't recall what made me put these particular songs together, but it's really good. I started to make a new one for this year, adding a few more recent songs, mostly stuff with the words road, drive, car or street in the title. You can make a pretty good long list just from that. I didn't spend a lot of time working on it though, so I've deferred to my previous MTTS list.

I arrived in Albuquerque around 12:30, but I was able to check into my hotel early, so that worked out. I did a little internet recon, then headed into Old Town. First I got a car wash. The thunderstorms we'd driven through yesterday were refreshing but left Rory with a dirty boot. I determined that the rest of the Minis should be arriving in town around 4:00, and the evening event is not until 7:00. It's at the local MINI dealer, Sandia MINI.

In the meantime, I did a little IPS fan geeking; I stopped by the Sunshine Building which is what they used as the exterior of Mary and Marshall's office on the show. In reality, it houses a theatre, so a closer inspection revealed posters for upcoming concerts, so that was kind of neat. Too bad the show isn't filming anymore, I found a website that gave details of places/dates where they were were shooting around town. But alas, the final season is done. Next I was off to a nice place for lunch called Sadie's. I think I remember Chris Hardwick recommending it once on the podcast. I got a chicken burrito which is huge. Half of it is still sitting on my plate right now.

Next I'll go back to my hotel and change I guess and get ready to go to the evening event which is called, "Westward Go!" Live music, food and drinks and mechanical bull rides are in store, and MTTS will begin for Rory and me in earnest.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Albuquerque, NM

On the Road

The Biennial Cross-country rally known as MINI Takes the States (MTTS) is here again. And it's Rory's first time. I purchased him just after MTTS in 2010. MTTS 2012 began in New Jersey last week and is heading west. I've decided to join the rally in Albuquerque and finish at the endpoint in L.A. Many of the Sin City Minis are going to join in Phoenix on Friday, but it seemed too dull just to do the last leg. I had time off coming to me, and it's just enough of a trip to get the full MTTS experience without spending too much money. The downside, I have to get to Albuquerque on my own before I'll likely encounter anyone familiar. Last MTTS, I was a co-pilot, and our group went all the way from here to Denver. I'm kind of looking forward to the time alone though. I can take my time, and relax on the way out. Then all the MTTS craziness will be a good contrast on the way back. I'll be leaving tomorrow, probably with a stop in Flagstaff, and then on to ABQ by Thursday night to meet the rally. Then we'll head to Phoenix, then L.A., then home.

Coincidentally, I was actually in L.A. twice last month. First I went to see a live taping of the Nerdist podcast with Chris Hardwick, Jonah Ray and Matt Mira. Kind of spur of the moment since my trip to New York got cancelled. Then three weeks later, Dad and I went down to see the Mets play the Dodgers. It was his Father's Day present. George was supposed to come too, but he had to beg off at the last moment. It was a good time though. I took my Dad to the ballgame, the Mets won 5-0 (another gem from Johan!), Ike Davis hit a home run just for me, and we had a fun little road trip. There was singing along to Neil Diamond. I was surprised that Dad was happy to go in my car, but with just the two of us it was perfect. So one trip on my own, and one with Dad. And now the main event. I still hope to go to New York to see Hina, but we'll have to figure that out after the rally. 

On the bus home from work today I was thinking about the sort of symmetry that's coming into play here. MTTS 2006 traveled west to east. After it hit Vegas, it headed for Flagstaff, then Albuquerque before continuing on, ending up in Connecticut. MINIfir was just 3 years old. When I started, I knew no one in the MINI community. Now 6 years later, I'm a veteran of the MTTS scene, travelling in my second MINI (a nearly two year old youngster), and after two other variations of the route, we'll again be hitting some of the same cities, but east to west. It also puts me in mind of another road trip I took, a little over 10 years ago, in a foreign land, unravelling spools of string as I went. This time, I'll have GPS.

It also happens to be the All-Star Break for Major League Baseball. Two Mets made the squad, R.A. Dickey, whose phenomenal 12-1 first half should have earned him the start, and David Wright who was cheated out of his starting slot by some overzealous fans in San Francisco. They both got in the game at least. The Mets finished the first half at 46-40, six games over .500, just 4.5 games back of the 1st place Washington Nationals. It would've been nice to win that last series against the Cubs. The Braves were able to just squeak into second place ahead of us by 1/2 game. But it's all good. We start the second half against them, and maybe some bulllpen help will be on the way before the trade deadline. We can only hope...

In the meantime, GO FORTH. GO WEST. GO MINI.

   

So Long & Thanks (for All the Fish)

I can't let this weekend go by without acknowledging the end of an era. On Friday I sold my first MINI, my beloved 2003 Indi Blue Cooper, MINIfir. I haven't been able to drive her for a long time. She was laid low with a bad transmission just before her 7th birthday with just under 80,000 miles on her odometer in July of 2010. I got a new MINI at the end of that August, Rory, and I could have just let the dealer take her as a trade, not worth much in her condition, where they'd send her to auction, probably for parts. I couldn't do it though. I held out hope that I could fix her someday. I bargained with MINIUSA to get them to help me out on the parts if I had the CVT replaced. They gave me a small break, nowhere near enough. I would still have to come up with $5000, at least. I decided to put her in storage, first at a storage facility, and then my friends Annette and Jeff were kind enough to let me store her in their backyard down in Boulder City. There she sat for nearly two years. Annette tried to start her up every so often so she'd keep running. She even gave her a wash, and kept her under a car cover. She sent me pictures and updates. She was well taken care of. I visited her a couple of times when I went to see Annette. But as time went by, the chances of me being able to fix her were more and more remote.

The guys at White Roof Radio suggested I weld her shut, fill her with water and make her an aquarium.   In the last few months I thought perhaps the best thing to do would be to donate her to Public Radio. They'd tow her away, sell her, probably for parts, and use the money to fund KNPR. I'd get a tax deduction. And whenever I listened to KNPR, I'd be reminded of her, that she had helped support my listening. I was pretty much decided. I was getting ready to make the phone call to have her picked up. But I was dragging my feet. I felt bad that she was taking up space in Annette's yard, when there no longer seemed to be any logical reason to hold onto her.

Then by chance, at AMVIV last weekend, which I originally wasn't going to be able to attend, Bill from Kensington, the shop that had done most of MINIfir's repairs over the years, asked me about her. I  told him I still had her. I'm getting ready to donate her. Why? Do you want to buy her? I asked, only half-serious. Yeah, he said. I can give you a couple o' grand for her, make her a project car. He mused about possibly doing a conversion to electric. Sure, I said. That'd be great. She'd get another chance, one I haven't been able to give her. Not just that, but I'd know where she was, and could even check on  her progress as she is restored.  I'll be stopping in there to get Rory his oil changes and whatnot anyway.

So Friday I went down to Annette's; we dusted MINIfir off, and watched as she was loaded onto a tow truck once again. She was delivered to Kensington. I followed a bit later. When I got there, she was installed in the shop, hooked up to a battery charger. I went into the office where Bill was ready to write me a check. I signed the title over to him, and it was done. I lingered for a bit, talked to Bill and asked about his plans for her. I felt good about it. I went back to say good-bye to her one last time. Hopefully I'll see her again, good as new. But for now, I'll have the memories of all our good times together. So long little Min, until we meet again.

No Way in Hell

I almost don't have to say anything else.

Update: 6/23

But let's add some numbers. On June 1, 2012, Johan Santana threw a no-hitter against the St. Louis Cardinals. Yes, there have been other no-hitters this year. A couple of perfect games. But this was the first ever no-hitter pitched by a New York Mets pitcher. In the 50th Season of the franchise's existence, in the 8020th regular season game. This year the Mets are wearing a patch in memory of Gary Carter with his #8. The Mets scored 8 runs on 8 hits. Johan Santana threw a total of 134 pitches (add those digits and you get 8), and struck out 8 hitters. Lucas Duda hit his 8th home run of the season.  It was Santana's battery mate, catcher Josh Thole's, first game back after missing several weeks with a concussion. Was Kid Carter watching over the Mets that day? I like to think so.

The next day, with the elation of the previous night's historic event still in the air, R.A. Dickey followed  up by pitching a complete game shutout against those same Cardinals (the defending World Champs no less) for his 8th win to beat league leading 8 game winner Laynce Lynn. More 8s!

Some more on R.A. Dickey... His next start against the NL East first place Washington Nationals, R.A. pitched into the 8th inning, giving up no runs and striking out 8 for the win. His next start against the Tampa Bay Rays, R.A. pitched a 1-hitter, 8 more scoreless innings, only giving up 1 unearned run in the 9th. In this start he set the new Mets team record for consecutive innings without giving up a run with 32 2/3 innings. In the following start against the Baltimore Orioles, R.A. pitched a second consecutive 1-hitter, another complete game shutout for his league leading 11th win.  Tack on 9 more scoreless for R.A. 

Baseball players and fans alike are a superstitious and number loving bunch.  The internet has been filled with chatter over R.A. Dickey's numbers, as well as his great underdog story, as detailed in his best selling memoir. There's talk of R.A. possibly getting tapped to start the All-Star Game for the National League next month. A 37 year old journeyman knuckleballer. Santana's No-Hitter, R.A. Dickey's whole year so far, and the Mets are hanging in there in second place in the N.L. East when all the analysts were picking them last before the season began. The Mets have lost some tough series, notably getting swept by the 5th place Astros, and more recently and frustratingly, the Yankees and the Reds. But they've bounced back with sweeps of Tampa Bay and Baltimore. So far this weekend they have split the first two games of the year's final subway series at home versus the Yanks.  But all in all they are exceeding expectations, despite the continued distressing injuries (Jason Bay crashed into the left field wall again last weekend and has another concussion). Things are mostly looking up this summer in Queens. 

#LGM

What I Am

I"ve spent some of last and most of this long weekend sorting through boxes of old stuff. I had boxes in the garage that I still hadn't opened since I moved here in July. And there were plenty of other boxes, that I knew were full of stuff that would eventually need to be sorted and lots of it thrown away. I've been moving from place to place hauling all this stuff with me. I get so terribly attached to it. Or just the memory of it. Or the memories in it. I'm not completely sure. But if I was going to do this, I would have to be ruthless. I would have to make myself part with things I put away and never thought about again until it was time to move and then I realized, well, I should probably go through that stuff and get rid of some of it. But the thought was too much. I put it off. And put it off some more.

Last weekend I started in the garage with a box of video tapes. Yep, VHS. I had two boxes full. And those things are heavy. Moving them from place to place was made pointless by the fact that I don't even own a VCR anymore. But I had to look through them. See what I had in there. Videos I haven't played in years, but hadn't yet replaced with DVDs, if I ever would. There were lots of recorded tapes of stuff I taped off the TV. Back when there wasn't any other way to see something again. I chucked all of them. Then there were the tapes of music videos. The videos of Tori Amos, and Morrissey and others. Concert films. And then movies. I tried to keep them in my head, ones I planned to replace. Others, I had no real desire to ever see again, and can't even remember why I bought them in the first place. I tossed them all. I was brutal. I had to be.

After I emptied those boxes, I came to the one box for which I had no idea what it contained. It was one of those boxes my parents packed up at the old house in New York. They never opened it when they got here. Just put it on a shelf in their garage. Then when they moved this last time, they gave it to me. We think this is yours, they said. They had no idea what was in it either. It wasn't labeled. And it has sat in my garage for 10 months now. Finally, I would open it. And look what I found: trophies and plaques and medals, awards from school and sports. Varsity letters. My bronzed baby shoes. Stuff I kept in the bottom drawer of my nightstand in my childhood bedroom. I can see it exactly as I left it. Mom and Dad just dumped it all in a box and years later, here it all was.

That was last Sunday. So during the week at work, I began to plan for the next round. This weekend I would have four days to delve deep into the recesses of my past. First up, the footlocker. I have two footlockers. One that I spray painted outside and wall papered inside and covered with stickers. I took it with me to college, freshman year at Syracuse, when I roomed with Hina. The second, my actual army footlocker. Again, covered in stickers, mostly of places I've been. Used as a coffee table as recently as when I lived in Utah. I had some idea of what was in them. But could not have imagined the reality.

Footlocker one was filled with manilla envelopes, clasps neatly fastened, labeled in my own writing. Military photos. Poetry! hand written in high school. And letters, hundreds of letters and cards. I have somehow managed to keep every card and letter I ever received from anyone while I was in the army. Letters from Mom and Dad, and George and my aunts and grandparents. But also, from teachers, and coaches, and friends. Childhood friends. High school and college friends. Army friends, even an Army Chaplain. Friends from every stage of my life. I could see from the envelopes that these letters were sent to me at Fort Jackson during Basic Training. Then at Fort Gordon, then at Fort Carson, then in Darmstadt, Germany.  Then some after I got back home to New York.

The first footlocker also contained some ridiculous items. Bank statements, cancelled checks, and even ATM receipts! I got out the paper shredder. I opened every envelope and shredded everything that had my name or other personal information. I tossed the rest. I ended up with a big bag of trash. There were wall calendars from 1986, 1992, 1993. Date books. Notebooks. Manuals. An envelope with the dried petals of a flower I was given by an old army boyfriend. Old photos. Pay statements. A few old exam booklets. Things probably best lost to time.

But as I delved deeper, I found hand written notes from Hina and others that we wrote in school and passed to each other during class, folded into complicated shapes. Print outs of the primitive email system we had in 1988-89 on dot matrix paper. Messages from friends and even from some of my ball players, from when I managed the baseball team. One young guy always asking if I thought the coach would ever play him. In those messages and notes, I was brought back to that time. The trivial things that concerned us. The inside jokes we shared. Then there were the copies of the newspaper, with my byline in the sports section, reporting on my baseball team. Hina and all our friends writing all the other articles. We did it all. And I kept it all. Poems I wrote about baseball too. I remember at the time, Ms Sylman, my English teacher, told me that one day I'd write about other things. And I have, but I came back to baseball time and again too.

Then it was back upstairs to my office. For the piles of papers which included all the materials from my teaching days, lesson plans scribbled on the back of flyers, and even some favorite student papers that I kept. Grade sheets. Teacher evaluations. I reluctantly got rid of all of those. I kept my own school papers, essays and fiction, with notes from professors. An academic paper I presented at a conference. A trail of my development as a writer. Tomorrow I'll open the other footlocker, which I'm pretty sure holds all my old journals. And the little notebooks, with the black marble covers that I wrote stories in as a teenager. Juvenilia! (If I may be so bold.) I think I'll transcribe some of it, maybe most of it. Make computer files that can move with me much more easily. But can I really let go of all those handwritten pages? I don't know. There's plenty of time to figure that out still. First I've got to get typing, or scanning, or absorbing. Reading it all will takes weeks, months even. And it will make me laugh, and cry, and shake my head. It will make me remember who I was, who I am still.

What's the Frequency, Kenneth?

Meanwhile on 30 Rock... This season Kenneth has been promoted to an executive in NBC's Standards and Practices Department. And then he misguidedly quits that job to come to Tracy's rescue and ends up only being able to find work as a janitor.  It's just like Kenneth to be so self-sacrificing that he puts himself at a disadvantage to help someone else. However, I suspect that the wardrobe department may have run out of crazy old suits to put Kenneth in.

Somehow, Kenneth manages to keep his chin up ("Medically, it's a neck ridge."), but he finally admits to Jack Donaghy that he does this by lying to himself and he doesn't know how much longer he can do it. I have a feeling that Kenneth will end up back as a Page soon. But in the meantime, he hasn't been used much in recent episodes. They usually find some way to get him involved a little bit each week, now that he doesn't work directly for TGS. But it's less than before which makes me sad.  In last week's live episode, it can be argued that Kenneth saved the show (Again!) by locking everyone in Tracy's dressing room and reminding them about all the great moments in live television. Okay, I'm the only one arguing that. But still. 

Kenneth still makes me laugh more than practically anyone. So my weekly happiness quotient is directly proportional to the frequency of his appearances on screen. He had an interesting turn in this week's episode. He ends up filling in at the last minute in Tracy's wife's fashion show, modeling what looked like a poncho, with his boxers showing. They put him in hilarious makeup, and then he had the sudden urge to try cocaine (heaven forbid). Hopefully he'll get more plot involvement soon. In the meantime, I have plenty of back episodes to watch over and over.

UPDATE: 5/20/12

This week was the season finale and it ended in a rather disturbing development for Kenneth.  Ms. Whassername is up to her usual manipulative tricks. And Kenneth just wants to see the good in everyone. Hopefully, he realizes before it's too late. He can't let her keep him from getting back into the Page program. That is where he belongs. And next season will be the last. They just announced it this week. Hopefully they get a whole season's worth of episodes. At least it looks like things might actually end well for Liz, which I assume is what we all want. I know I do. 

UPDATE to the UPDATE:

13 Episodes. That's all we're going to get for Season 7 :(

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Back to the Mets. After their 6-2 start, they came back down to earth a bit and are now hanging in there just above .500 at 15-13. That's good enough for 3rd in the division. So I still feel they are having a great season so far. There have been more injuries. Ruben Tejada got hurt today, tripping on his way to first base and Jason Bay has a cracked rib. But Andres Torres is doing well since he came back, and Kirk Nieuwenhuis has been quite the rookie sensation. David Wright and Daniel Murphy are still batting over .300, well over in David's case at .375! Daniel had four hits yesterday and drove in the first two runs today as R.A. Dickey cruised to his 4th win of the season. #LGM

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The turtles are doing well. I have finally named them. Sydney and Scout. Sydney is the shy one and Scout is the intrepid. I spent a good four hours cleaning their tank yesterday. Boy they made a mess. I put them in the little cardboard boxes I brought them home from the pet store in while I worked on their home. Sydney just sat perfectly still, head in shell the whole time. But Scout was literally climbing the walls. The box was just high enough that I figured there's no way he gets out of there. But later when I came back from washing the gravel in the bathtub, Scout was not in the box! I couldn't believe it. He didn't get far, he was just in the corner of the room by the closet. But I was amazed that he got out. You don't really think of turtles as being very agile, but they can be. Lesson learned!

Reader Meet Author

I thought I'd talk about some of the books I've been reading lately.  I saw my therapist today and I remarked how I often talk to her about what I'm reading or what happened on 30 Rock or what the Mets did, and that this was probably not the best way to use the session. I actually said to her one time, "If I start giving you a summary of a 30 Rock episode during the next hour, please stop me." Come to think of it, on more than one occasion, I've sat down in her office and declared that I was not going to talk about X or Y, trying to stay on task.  I guess it's just that I don't really have anyone else to talk to about this stuff here. But I digress.

I just finished reading the memoir by Rachel Dratch called, "Girl Walks into a Bar..." In it she talks briefly about her time on SNL, and some of  the ups and downs of her career, and then at length about her dating life, and how she unexpectedly got pregnant and had a baby at age 43.  It was very well written and enjoyable. As much as she has ended up being (by her own admission) a marginal comic actress (one person who asked what I was reading said "Rachel who?" I had to explain that she was on SNL at the same time as Tina Fey and Amy Poehler), she is really, really funny, a great story teller, and I ended up liking her very much. Some of what she talked about was the pressure on women in their 40s who have never married. Something I can definitely relate to. She always had the worry in the back of her mind that she might never have a child. That's not a worry of mine, I don't really mind not having children, but I get the whole thing about not finding the right guy and feeling like time is running out. Rachel ends up having a child with a man she's only known a few months, and she did not get that full fairytale ending. While the guy is very involved with the child, he and Rachel never really figured out what they were as a couple. And she's only mostly okay with that. She's grateful for her son, as that's more than she ever thought she'd get, but is still a bit sad too, and not afraid to say it. It just struck me as so real. Things don't wrap up neatly in the end all the time. Or even most of the time.

Speaking of Tina Fey, I also recently read her memoir, "Bossypants." I like how the cover has a quote on it saying, "Totally worth it" - Trees  The irony was not lost on me, as I read it on my Kindle. Tina is the epitome of self-deprecation. In this collection of essays she, like Rachel, talks about her life and career in a way that lets you see that she really earned it, but allows for the fact that she was also very lucky. She's eminently likable, and still so funny and smart you want to be jealous, but you can't.

It's just a total coincidence that I read these two books in relatively close succession. It was really interesting to see two sides of the story (Rachel had originally been cast as a regular on 30 Rock, but was replaced after the pilot with Jane Krakowski). Hearing Tina, the creator of 30 Rock, and then Rachel, Tina's long time friend and colleague from Second City and SNL, talk about what happened during that time was inspiring to me. Because the media made it out like Tina had betrayed Rachel and Rachel was angry with Tina over it, but they both showed the same rare combination of honesty and professionalism.  No one blamed anyone. In the end, it was just about how the show was developing, and how there were a lot of other people whose opinions mattered and went into the decision. It wasn't like one said they were more right than the other. They just described how it was in their own experiences, like the classy, intelligent and talented ladies they are. Each of their stories touched only briefly on that episode, mostly because people continue to ask them about it. They both went on to show how much more there is to them than the names and faces people recognize on TV.

Before that I read yet another memoir, "Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?" by Mindy Kaling, who writes, acts in, and produces The Office. Mindy's book was more of a mixed bag. Framed somewhat as an advice column, it also gave the background story of how Mindy became a writer/performer. I came out of it with a mostly positive feeling about her. Especially since the character she plays on the Office is so annoying. It's good to know that's not really her. At the same time, she struck me as somewhat, I don't know, like maybe more of a snarky brat. She describes her experiences with humor, but sometimes it seems like she's missing her own point.

Going back further, I read Kristin Hersh's memoir, "Rat Girl." Kristin's book reads like you are in her mind, going with the flow, just watching how it works, and it's weird and wonderful. She writes about being bi-polar, not in a direct way, but in a way that allows her to reveal herself in layers as many things, not just bi-polar, not just an enigmatic yet successful musician, but as a whole person who happens to see the world unlike anyone else.  Kristin, several of whose songs provide titles for my blog entries as well as this blog itself, is perhaps a bit of a patron saint to me. I have met her in person several times after concerts, but in reading her book, it's like I know her more than ever. And I'm glad to have finally made her acquaintance.

Looking at my Kindle library, I realize there are a lot of memoirs. Next up is R.A. Dickey's "Wherever I Wind Up." Add to the list Fred Stoller's "My Seinfeld Year," Elna Baker's "The New York Regional Mormon Singles Halloween Dance," Crystal Renn's "Hungry," Valerie Plame's "Fair Game," and Ron Darling's "The Complete Game" and one might wonder if I ever read fiction anymore.

I do of course. Some recent standouts include Chad Harbach's "The Art of Fielding," Jennifer Egan's "A Visit from the Goon Squad," and Tom Rachman's "The Imperfectionists." Looking at this list, I can see that the Kindle has encouraged me to read more books, take a chance on some I may not have read otherwise. I think just the ease of thinking 'I want to read that,' and then having it in front of you in two minutes takes away a lot of that dithering I'd do in bookshops, turning the book over in my hands, weighing it, feeling it as an object and wondering if I should take it home, or if it might just sit there unread. Not that there's not value in that too. I think books are wonderful objects, which is perhaps evidenced by the fact that I have bookshelves in every room of my house. I'm just more selective than ever in what books I bring home, because there is only a finite amount of space to store/display them all. At the Borders Going out of Business sale just before Christmas, I picked up a handful of books, the best of which was Brady Udall's "The Lonely Polygamist." And I think that's probably the best overall book I've read in the last year. Sometimes it takes a certain circumstance to bring a book to you. Whatever it is, we must then invite them in and let them live in us. Some stay longer than others.

Much like my reading list, in my own writing, I still tend to lean towards memoir, but I'm also thinking lately that I shouldn't be so afraid of fiction. I used to be able to do it. I'm experimenting here and there. But I think it's time to start experimenting towards something instead of just around it.

Tiny Little Fractures

The Mets are 6-2! And the two games they lost, David Wright was out with a fractured bone in his little finger. Yesterday he was unable to grip a bat or a baseball. But he came back with a bang today, hitting a home run on the first pitch he saw from the Phillies' pitcher. It seems like a good sign when it looked like he might be heading for the DL. David was out a good two months last season with a stress fracture in his back. These guys can be fragile. As much as they are highly conditioned professional athletes, sometimes it seems like it doesn't take much to take them out of a game. Then again, they are so highly paid, it's quite a risk to keep sending a guy out there when he could have a more serious injury. The Mets have been barraged with injuries in the last few seasons.  So this is nothing new for us. But with such a good start, it's hard not to cross your fingers that nothing goes wrong. Andres Torres, the new center fielder we just got from the Giants, hurt himself on Opening Day. That's the kind of thing that happens to the Mets. But Ruben Tejada is more than filling in as the lead-off hitter. At the plate and at shortstop he's proving everyday that we'll hardly miss Jose Reyes.

A good friend of mine is going to her first ever baseball game later this year. In Atlanta, but she'll be seeing the Mets! So I have been thinking about what is essential for her to know about the rules of the game. It's hard to pare it down. Baseball to me can be so complex and beautiful. And I've been watching it most of my life. I'm so steeped in the language. So this is a challenge. Let's see.

The basics:
There are nine men on each team. They play on a diamond, a base at each corner. Score a run by making it all the way around. The offense has three outs to reach base and score runs in each inning. They play nine innings, unless it is tied after nine, in which case there are extra innings. The defense, led by the pitcher, tries to keep them from scoring.

More advanced:
Batting:
Each batter will either reach base or make an out. They can reach by hitting safely, walking, being hit by a pitch, a fielding error, on a fielder's choice, or on a strike out with a passed ball by the catcher. The batter has 3 strikes to hit the ball. If the pitcher misses the strike zone four times before getting 3 strikes, the hitter walks. The batter can make an out by striking out, hitting a ball which is caught on a fly by a fielder, or hitting a ball on the ground that the fielders can make a play on.

Running the bases:
Once a batter reaches, he becomes the base runner. Base runners can advance from base to base depending on what the next batter does. They can move up on a hit, a fielder's choice, a walk, a hit by pitch, tagging up on a fly ball, etc. They can also steal or move up on a balk by the pitcher. A base runner can move up more than one base depending on where and how the hitter hits the ball. When the ball is hit, the base runner must decide if it's safe to advance, otherwise, he must stay at the current base. The runner must touch all the bases to score. If the batter hits a home run, all runners on base score.

If the fielder makes a play for a force out to the base the runner is moving to, they are out. If they get caught stealing, or picked off a base, they are out. If the baserunner tags up too early after a catch, they are out.  Any other time there is not a force play and the runner is tagged between bases, he is out, such as in a rundown.

Pitching:
The team on defense works together to get three outs on the batting team. The pitcher can make any number of pitches needed to either strike the hitter out, or get him to hit into a play by his fielders. Otherwise, the batter may reach base as described above. The pitcher is restricted to a strike zone which is determined by the height and stance of the batter and the pitch's relation to home plate. It can't be too high, or too low. Or too far to the left or right (inside or outside) depending on if the batter is left- or right- handed. Pitches outside the strike zone are called balls. The decision on balls and strikes is made by the home plate umpire.  The pitcher can throw different pitch types by using a different grip on the ball, using a different arm movement, and varying speed. Common pitch types include the fastball, the curve, the slider, the cutter, the splitter, the change-up, and to a lesser extent, the knuckle ball, each with its different movement. The later the movement on the pitch, the more difficult it is to hit.  Location and speed are also key in getting the hitter out. The pitcher may decide himself what pitch to throw, or he may take signals from his catcher who  crouches behind home plate and receives the ball. Occasionally, the pitches may be called by the coaches in the dugout and relayed via the catcher.

Fielding:
Each position player on the field is responsible for covering an area of the field. Infielders generally field balls hit on the ground. Outfielders generally field balls hit in the air. Depending on situation: base runners, number of outs, balls/strikes, who the hitter is, etc. the fielder may adjust where he is positioned. Fielders must know the situation at all times in order to react by throwing the ball to the correct place (to a base or to a cutoff man), touching the base, or tagging the runner. Plays that result in two runners being out are called double-plays.

And that's it! Easy, peasy right? Well, the great thing is, all these things can happen in a nearly infinite number of combinations over the course of a game. There is no time clock. Games can be short (2 hours or less) or long (over three hours). Three hours is about average. Oh, and the players who start the game can be replaced during the game by substitutes, either as hitters or fielders. And once removed, they cannot return to the game. It's uncommon nowadays for a pitcher to complete the whole game. Pitchers that come in to replace another pitcher are called Relief Pitchers. Relievers can come in to pitch to a single batter, or for an inning or for several innings.

There's more of course. Next time we'll talk stats! Just kidding.

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In other news, I got my pet turtles today! I got all the stuff to set up their tank yesterday so it'd be ready for them. They are so cute. They don't have names yet. I had some names in mind, but the lady at PetSmart couldn't tell me for certain what sex they are. When they get older it will be easier to tell. In the meantime I'll try to come up with some more unisex names.

Spring

Happiness is a Mets win on Opening Day. Spring has begun in earnest. I'm glad that there are still some things that can get me out of my funk. There are a lot of things really. I forget that from time to time, when things are at their bleakest. The one thing that they have in common is that they take me out of myself. When I marvel at the talent of others. When music makes me sing, and Kenneth makes me laugh. When my Mets make me cheer and a good book takes me to another world. When a good friend makes me smile.

Yesterday John and Pedro came to visit me for the first time since I moved to my new place. We had pizza and watched Harry Potter. And they brought me a popcorn maker! It was nice to have them here since I spend so much time at their house. I ended up staying up late of course which made my plan to maybe go to church for Easter seem less appealing. If the ward met in the afternoon, I might have managed it. But 9:00 a.m. on a Sunday after a late night, highly unlikely. I woke up at around 7, but I was so sleepy and bleary eyed, I went right back to bed until the Mets game at 10:00.

The Mets are having a great opening weekend. They beat the Braves in the first two, shutting them out 1-0 in the opener. David Wright had his first home run yesterday and Lucas Duda hit two homers in the 4-2 win! Today, Jon Niese had a no-hitter through six before it got away from him in the 7th. But the Mets have been hitting. Both Daniel Murphy and Ruben Tejada with multiple hits today. Ike Davis is struggling, but I'm sure he'll break out any day now. And to think that after all the experts picked the Mets last in the NL East coming out of Spring Training, they've just completed a sweep of the Braves, it's quite satisfying. It's okay to live vicariously sometimes right?

What's Up?

Well, change has come. Not quite they way I've been hoping. The opposite actually. They've moved me from my isolated desk into the writers' room. Now I have to deal with my two loud colleagues all day, up close and personal. I knew the move was coming. I talked to my therapist about it. All day Thursday, as I waited for the IT guy to come move my computer, I felt the dread and at the same time I heard her voice suggesting gently, maybe I could think of a way to deal with this change in a more positive manner.

One good thing is I've found I have a few more allies in the office than I thought I did. I wasn't the only one to express my concerns to our boss. I happened to run into her at Wal-mart today. She introduced me to her husband and we chatted for a bit. As I moved on to do my shopping, I thought about telling her I how I feel about the move. But I think I may be better off if I keep that to myself. How am I going to do this?  I wonder.

I had to pick up my brother and his girlfriend at the airport last night at midnight. By the time we got back to their place, we were all exhausted. I slept over in their spare room, and in the morning, they took me out to breakfast. I mentioned that I was thinking of getting a pet turtle. This got them both excited and they decided to take me to PetSmart. We looked at the red-eared sliders and vivarium setups. I got a book about them so I could do more research. They require a lot of care. I want to make sure I can handle it. Anyway, it was nice to see them. It's been a while. George kept asking if I had my eyes checked recently. I was struggling to read the keypad to open the gate at his apartment complex. I told him I have my reading glasses, but I don't really need them to see, just to give my eyes a break from looking at screens all day. I should really be wearing them now actually. Maybe these old eyes are going to need a more consistent solution soon.

That's about all that's up aside from the story I'm still working on. I'm writing it in real time, which is tricky. I want to add things to it at the most inopportune times. I have the Pages app on my phone so I can peck out a line or two in a pinch. I think it's going pretty well now that I've got some momentum going on it. Although, it's not going to go anywhere. I don't think I'll show it to anyone. But it occupies me enough to make getting through the days bearable.

I'm continuing my scripture study. I've reached Jacob 6.  And I'm also reading Tina Fey's book. It's  really good, all the little anecdotes that have ended up as plot points on 30 Rock. More fuel for my obsession. In the meantime I guess I'll just post this. I'm getting tired enough that I'm making a bunch of errors and not alert enough to proofread it. And I've forgotten my point.

A Change Would Do You Good

Before I start I would like to make a disclaimer: Yes, I am grateful for my job. It pays well and is stable. I'm lucky to have a job at all in this economy. And without it I would still be living with my parents and they would not have their new house.

That being said, I am so bored at work lately, and I think I know why. Next month will mark three years I've been working at the Test Site. That's longer than I was at Upper Deck. Longer than any job I've had aside from the Army, (or teaching, but I don't think that counts exactly since it wasn't full time, or all for the same school). As much as I hated being laid off and unemployed all those times, I'd gotten used to the constant change. Changing jobs and  moving house have been such a big part of my life for nearly two decades. I just felt like the stability, if it was going to come someday, it wouldn't be in Las Vegas. I mean seriously. I have lived here for almost 8 years! That's longer than I've lived anywhere since I first left home for college in 1989. When I had to extend the lease here so the landlord would put the garage door opener in, I remember figuring, okay, to stay here until at least January 2013, by that time I'll have been at the Test Site for almost 4 years. And the people around me in the office have all been there for much longer. It's their career. I don't know if I want to be a career tech writer, at the Test Site or anywhere else. Some might say that at age 40, it's really too late to still be deciding about this. I have to get going already on my retirement account. Not that anyone in this country will actually be able to retire by the time I'm in my mid-60s. Social Security might not even exist by then. I'll probably have to keep working indefinitely. And if I am not happy in my job, then it's not a career at all. It's just food and shelter money. 

I've been watching a Netflix marathon of The Office (U.S.). I'm halfway through Season 7. And as dull as working at a paper company must be, as dreary as it sounds that those people have been working there together for so long, years, and years, at least there are things to look forward to for them. Jim and Pam finally got together and started a family, and as it goes in any sitcom, there are endless breakups and recombinations amongst the regulars. Something to break up the monotony. There's none of that at my work. I have no friends among my co-workers. My boss likes me, but she's been promoted so we hardly ever see her anymore. And one of my writer colleagues has been promoted as "acting manager" to take her place, so he's not even as cool as he was now that he's sort of our boss. He was never that cool to begin with, but at least I didn't mind him. Now every time he passes by my desk, he's all official, checking on how things are going, seeing if I need any help or whatnot. And his wife, who also works with us, she is now assisting our old boss, so that's weird too.  I see an email from her, and I just want to ignore it. I've been doing a thing where I see how long I can go without actually speaking to anyone. Sometimes I can go almost all day. There are always those pesky co-workers who have to say something every time you pass in the hallway. I mean, seriously. We see each other for 40 hours every week. It's not necessary to say hi two or three (or more!) times a day. And especially not in the restroom! 

Mostly though, I sit around at work wishing I could do something more creative. When will it be time for me to follow my dream?  What is it and is it even worth following? I don't know. I read Chris Hardwick's book, The Nerdist Way, and I was momentarily inspired. I thought, well if that loser can get his head out of his ass, then anyone can. All I have to do is...wait, what did he say? Use my laser focus that I have as a nerd (or creative obsessive) to do something that is important to me and let that be my life's work. Right. So...how can I make myself care about tech writing? What if that's my only option?

Maybe, more than just being accustomed to constant change, I'm restless. Maybe that's the reason that since Hina mentioned coming to New York for another visit, I've been able to think of little else. Maybe I'll never want to sit still anywhere, doing anything. Too much sitting can be bad. Just ask my enormous ass. There's a sort of paralysis that sets in. You become de-conditioned, body parts just stop working.  I got tired yesterday from walking around at the mall. And I only went to the mall because I knew otherwise, I wouldn't move at all. It's an oxymoronic state. I'm restless, but I can't get myself to move either. I know that could partly be the depression. But they say depression can be helped by physical activity and when you're depressed, the last thing you want to do is anything physical. It's a vicious cycle. 

I have decided to make a spiritual move at least. I've been thinking so much about how I miss the church, and how maybe I should go back and take part in that community again, and if that would help. I got a letter from my new visiting teacher with her phone number saying if I need anything I can call her. But I realized that besides the community and fellowship, what I really need to know is if I still believe the doctrine. And praying is good. But to really know, I have to become more familiar with what it is I'm actually supposed to be following. Since I downloaded The Book of Mormon musical, I've thought a lot about all the misconceptions that it puts out there. All the strange beliefs, things which aren't actually true, but are fun to make fun of. I should really find out what is true. And to do that I have to re-read the Book of Mormon itself. I have to see if the reasons I joined the church, if the feelings I had then are still accessible. So after many, many years, I started reading it again last weekend. Sometimes I read aloud (to Kenneth) so I can really slow down and understand what I'm reading. I'm almost done with 1 Nephi. And you know what, it makes me want to read more. So I guess that's a good thing. We'll see how it goes. Maybe the most important change I can make, is to come full circle and meet up again with my past self, this time a bit older and wiser, but also with a new sense of wonderment.

I'm a Believer

Me and George with Gary Carter  in 1986

The rule of three is something someone made up because it seemed like any time a famous person died there are always two more soon after. Weirdly though, it seems to bear out. This time it was three people gone before their time, which is always so sad. Whitney Houston, age 48, Gary Carter, age 57, and Davy Jones, age 66. 

Gary Carter was the one I had the most personal connection to. A Hall of Fame catcher for the New York Mets, Gary lost his fight with brain cancer on February 16th at only 57 years old.  The one they called "Kid" handled the Mets gifted young pitching staff and helped lead the Mets to their last World Series Championship in 1986. My brother and I were lucky enough to get to meet him that winter at an autograph signing. He was gracious and kind, and giving of his time to all the kids that came to see him. Those who knew him well say he was not just a Hall of Fame player, but a great all around person, a class act all the way. He will be missed. The Mets will wear a patch with his number 8 in memory during this upcoming 2012 season.  Spring training is well underway, and I'm sure Kid Carter is on the minds and in the hearts of the players on the field and the fans in the stands. 

We also grew up watching the Monkees TV show; as kids we didn't know how contrived it was. I remember watching it at my grandparents house during our summers with them in California.  The Monkees sang "I'm a Believer" which was written by Neil Diamond, who we of course love. When I hear it, I think of them both. Davy Jones was only 66 when he died earlier this week, the same age my dad is right now. It's hard to fathom sometimes. People die everyday. Many much too young. And some seem to keep kicking forever. It goes to show how little control we have of things. 

Even though both my sets of grandparents lived into their late 70s or early 80s, I have often thought that I might not live to such a ripe old age. With all the family history of various illnesses (breast cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, etc.), plus my struggles with depression, I figure my time will run out too soon. I'm okay with that, I guess. What matters is that we make the most of the time we have, try to be a positive influence, make a difference in the lives of others. I don't know that I'll get there. I still feel like I've yet to write my book. Hopefully, I still have some time. But if not, I know I have friends and family whose lives have been touched by mine. I'm grateful for that. Beyond that, anything else is a bonus.

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This has left me feeling kind of bummed out so I will add some cheer. Wednesday was Leap Day and spurred on by 30 Rock, I took part in a new Leap Day Tradition. I wore blue and yellow, and tweeted the following picture of me and Kenneth (with his Leap Day bow that I made) to @nbc30Rock for their Leap Day William contest. I didn't get chosen to be on the website, but I don't feel that bad about it. I think they chose randomly, as when I looked at the slide show on the 30 Rock webpage, there seemed to be a picture of someone's dinner they were cooking. It looked like paella. Obviously, not Leap Day appropriate. Some of the other pictures were pretty lame too. Oh well. See you in four years!